Photographic processing of silver halide color photographic materials basically comprises development (in the case of color reversal materials, color development is preceded by black-and-white first development), desilvering, and washing. Desilvering comprises bleach and fixing or combined bleach-fix (blix). Processing further includes supplementary steps, such as stabilization, prebath processing preceding each step, and stopping. In color development, exposed silver halide is reduced by a color developing agent to form silver and halogen ions. Simultaneously, the thus oxidized color developing agent reacts with a coupler to form a dye. Therefore, because a large quantity of a silver halide color photographic material is continuously processed, halogen ion accumulate in the developing solution.
Recently, reduction in the rate of replenishment for the purpose of saving resources and reduction of environmental pollution has been extensively studied. However, mere reduction of replenishment of a developing solution gives rise to a problem that substances dissolved from a light-sensitive material, particularly iodide ion or bromide ion which are each strong development inhibitors, accumulate and lessen development activity. This results in a decrease in processing rapidity. In order to reduce the accumulation of iodide or bromide ion, use of a silver halide light-sensitive material having a high silver chloride content to thereby secure rapid processing as disclosed in JP-A-58-95345, JP-A-59-232342, JP-A-61-70552, W087-04534, and JP-A-1-105948 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") has been proposed. Use of such a high silver chloride light-sensitive material is considered an effective means for making rapid development processing feasible. While a shortening of color development time has thus been steadily realized, the time required for bleach-fix subsequent to color development has not changed so that the overall processing time has not been greatly reduced.
JP-A-1-196044 discloses a processing method in which color development is completed in 25 seconds or less, and the overall processing time including the times for bleach-fix and washing is within 2 minutes. In this method, however, light-sensitive materials are not sufficiently desilvered when continuously processed due to such a short time for bleach-fix. Thus an image of clear color separation is not obtained. Further, it turned out that when bleach-fix is completed within a very short time of 30 seconds or less, the resulting image is stained with time, particularly under light irradiation at high humidity.
Reduction in overall processing time of color photographic materials is a present day object that one skilled in the art has been eager to accomplish. Namely, greatly speeding up each step involved from color development through drying is required. Under the present situation, however, if color development and bleach-fix is each effected in an extremely short time, continuous processing is easily accompanied by desilvering insufficiency, and the resulting dye image has deteriorated preservability.